May 23, 2026 John 19:25-34
lease read the passage before the commentary.
On the cross, Jesus commended his mother Mary to the disciple whom he loved and that disciple to his mother. Then after Jesus had died one of the soldiers thrust his spear into the side of Christ and blood and water flowed out.
This reminds me of the story in Genesis about how God put Adam into a deep sleep and formed Eve from Adam’s sleeping side. Eve became the mother of all the living (See Genesis 3:20). In Acts 1:12-14, Mary is with the disciples praying when the Holy Spirit comes upon the Church. These texts from John and Genesis form a basis for considering the mother of Jesus as the mother of the Church. She and we are all members of the Church that is sprung from the sleeping Jesus on the cross.
Mary and all of us are members of the Church. By baptism we are made into Christ for the salvation of the world. As disciples of Jesus, we are brothers, sisters, and mothers to one another in Christ. By birth from the side of Adam, we are brothers, sisters, and mothers in the unity of the human race. Jesus has expanded our notion of family to include all peoples. It is time to restore unity to the human race, destroying selfishness, greed, and pride for two reasons, one, we belong to the human race and, two, because we are united in the family of Christ. If our unity in the human family is not enough to bring us to work for cooperation among nations and people, our call from God into Christ redeeming work should cause to lay down hostilities and work for peace with justice.
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